[Duhatschek] – L’incapacité des Sabres à signer ou à échanger des joueurs ayant un véritable impact est-elle en grande partie due au fait que les joueurs ne veulent tout simplement pas jouer à Buffalo ?
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Spiritual_Bourbon
@Sabres de Buffalo
1 Comment
https://archive.ph/BHL3h
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### It seems that the Sabres’ inability to sign or trade for true impact players largely comes down to guys simply not wanting to play in Buffalo. How much of that can be traced back to their handling of Jack Eichel’s injury (refusing to let him get his desired surgery), or is it more so their complete lack of success? — Kelly A.
I would say the latter. Some relationships seemed doomed from the start and that’s what the marriage between Eichel and the Sabres looked like to me. The Sabres tanked so obviously to get Connor McDavid and when that didn’t happen, they couldn’t help but let the disappointment show. So not a good start, and too many uneven moments along the way, even before they had the showdown over the surgery. And you’re correct in implying that because the results of the surgery have turned out so well, that’s a bad look for any organization.
But I’ve just come across so many hockey people — from Scotty Bowman to Harry Neale — who loved it in Buffalo.
My experience over the years is that players gravitate to well-run organizations, no matter where they happen to operate. For years, Detroit used its considerable star power to lure all kinds of unexpected free agents to the city, when Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom were in their ascendancy.
Buffalo could be that sort of destination if the Sabres can get their act together on the ice. And it can change. Carolina was in a similar quandary to Buffalo. Look at the Hurricanes between 2007 and 2018 — a 12-year span in which they missed the playoffs 11 times. But then came new ownership, a new way of doing business, hiring the right coach — and they’ve been a model franchise ever since, with the third-best overall record in those six years. On paper, the Sabres are not a bad-looking team right now assuming the goaltending continues to be strong and some of the players who had off years last year bounce back.